This Is Why the Ice Bucket Challenge Is Actually a Big Deal

If you've logged onto Facebook this week, chances are your newsfeed's been flooded with videos of people drenching themselves in ice water, accompanied by the hashtag #icebucketchallenge. If you went to Boston College, there are likely hundreds of these posts with more coming each day. You have Julie and Pete Frates to thank for that.

It all started when some friends of one of Pete's buddies in New York, Patt Quinn, invited Pete—a former Boston College baseball player who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2012 at the age of 27—to take on the ice bucket challenge. Pat, like Pete, has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, loss of the use of arms and legs, and problems with speaking, breathing, and swallowing. When Pete posted his own video challenging others to participate, the stunt went viral with everyone from the Boston Police Department to the New York Giants enthusiastically dousing themselves with water.

"It's a little crazy, but it's good crazy so we're okay with it," Pete's wife, Julie, told me over the phone this morning of the attention they've received. "I have friends that I haven't talked to in 10 years, who live in different parts of the country, sending me messages saying 'I know you guys don't know these people, but this is everywhere.'"

In itself, the ice bucket challenge isn't new—Matt Lauer dunked himself on the Today show a few weeks ago (and called out Martha Stewart)—but since Pete Frates uploaded his video to Facebook, the stunt has been widely linked to raising awareness and funds for ALS—a condition, Julie says, most people don't know much about. "Since Pete was diagnosed, his whole mission has been to spread awareness for the disease. It's so weird because you hear so many people say they have a family member who had it or know someone who has it, but so many people don't understand what it is," she says. "When Pete was diagnosed, I had no idea it was terminal. I thought it was really bad, but you could live with it. So for us, even if they just see the ice bucket challenge and Google, 'What is ALS?' that's a success, because that's really all we can ask for."

The idea behind the ice bucket challenge is this: You receive the challenge from someone else and then have 24 hours to accept (which means filling a bucket with ice and cold water, dumping it over your head, calling out the cause you're supporting and challenging friends to continue the message—and of course, posting video proof to social media) or, if you choose not to accept, you have to donate $100 to an ALS association of your choice (or whatever charity has been named). But if you do choose to participate, you need to say what you're doing it for and have some understanding of it, so you're not just dumping a bucket of ice over your head for no reason.

And that's the important thing to remember, Julie says. This isn't just a funny stunt, there's a much greater cause attached. "I want to make it so clear that this is to raise awareness for what the disease is," she says. "Not only do we not have any kind of treatment, we don't even know what causes it. Just for people to know the severity of the disease and what we're up against is all we can ask for."

Though there are some doubts about whether the real message remains in focus as the ice bucket challenge goes viral, Julie insists the numbers speak for themselves. "Its both pieces. It's seeing people do this and also donating to your local ALS chapter or whatever you choose," she explains. "It's become so big now, people are questioning whether it's effective, but it's definitely effective. We just got a call from our Massachusetts ALS association who said donations are up 10 times this week from what they were this time last year. So obviously, Pete's fund sees the benefits of it, but it's much broader than our foundation...we're making real progress here. It's not just a trending thing on Facebook...[W]e just hope this momentum keeps going."

And so, to continue the message, ELLE.com accepts the ice bucket challenge in honor of Julie and Pete Frates, to strike out ALS and to support the Pete Frates Fund. To donate to an ALS organization, visit alsa.org/donate.

Update: According to the ALS Foundation, their national office has raised a total of $1.35 million from July 29 to August 11 of this year. That's compared to $22,000 raised during the same time period last year.